I think if there are any 'sleepers' in this tourney, this is the team. Halak can streak to be one of the best in the world. Chara and Visnovsky anchor a d-core that includes Meszaros. More importantly, that forward core is a pure 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th line kind of mix.

These guys can sneak up on people and spank them before they can even spell Slovakia!!

Ya, the Palffy, Satan, and Demitra picks surprised me a little, but Palffy had 99 points in 53 games in the 5th most competative league in Europe last season!!! idding aside, 713 points in 642 games and he was a PPG player just 3 seasons ago. He has the game.

Seriously, there are some questions marks on the team as much as there are some really nice players.

I dunno, just looking at the top 6 forwards, Gaborik, Hossa, Palffy, Demitra, Handzus, and Satan???

They could cause some teams fits. They will at the least be fun to watch and significantly more competative than the likes of Belarus and Norway.

I would say they are the low end of the top tier or the very top of the 2nd tier teams in the world.

I think if there are any 'sleepers' in this tourney, this is the team. Halak can streak to be one of the best in the world. Chara and Visnovsky anchor a d-core that includes Meszaros. More importantly, that forward core is a pure 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th line kind of mix.

These guys can sneak up on people and spank them before they can even spell Slovakia!!

Dangerous

I agree the Slovaks are definatley a quietly talented team with the Hossa's and Chara, as well as Halak playing well heading into the Olympics. They will battle the Sweedes, Americans and Czechs for the 3,4,5 and 6 spots I think.

The Sweedish team seems to have lost a step without Franzen and Sundin as well as the many injury questions their team has. As for the Americans they will have a solid talent level and it will all depend on how well their players mesh.

I wasn't even aware that Palffy was still playing hockey? I thought for some reason he retired due to injury probs as in some sort of nagging injury that wouldn't get better? Guess i was wrong? Did he just wanna return home?

I often follow the Swedish Elite League, KHL, SM-Liga (Finnish League), & DEL (German League) along with a few others.

And Zigmund Palffy is leading his current league in points, the "other" Hossa, Marcel, leads the KHL in goals (or did two days ago.)

This team could be a force. They have a few players (non-NHL) doing very well in their respective pro leagues. Not to mention a well rested Satan, who just won a Stanley Cup, Gaborik who is currently on fire, big, physical d-men in Chara & Jurcina. A Goaltender playing very well in Halak.

Don't really remember the reason he retired from the pens in '06 but I saw him playing in the Spengler Cup the other day and was a bit surprised. Not to mention the fact that Alexander Daigle was on the Canadian squad, there's a guy I thought had hung them up.

"After playing 42 games with the Penguins during the 2005–06 season, Palffy abruptly retired from hockey. On January 18, 2006 then Penguins GM Craig Patrick told reporters that Pálffy told him he was retiring due to a lingering shoulder injury. Many feel that tension with superstar Sidney Crosby may have also contributed to his retirement. Pálffy completed his career with 329 goals and 384 assists for 713 points in 684 games over 12 NHL seasons."

It's going to be great to see Ziggy out there again, he was such a dynamic player.

Guest4271 ( )

Posted - 12/30/2009 : 01:37:10

Isn't the kid from Columbus from Slovakia?? Jacob Vorecek, played as a Moosehead in the Q, very good upcoming player. Looks like a little Nash, with lots of talent and upside......size, speed, and very good hands, they could give him a look

I disagree with most: Slovakia is not a threat. At the top of the second tier teams in my mind.

The key thing that has always dogged Slovakian players (specifically, the forwards) is no grit, no toughness. All one has to do is apply a strong forecheck and solid defence, and these guys crumble, and make lots of defensive errors. I also see a lot of older, broken down players who certainly have skill, but are nowhere close to where they used to be (Demitra, Palffy, Handzus, Satan, Zednik, even Hossa). Slovakia's only true blue star forward in his prime is Gaborik, and we all know he is one solid check away from pulling his glass groin.

And as good defensively as Chara is, he can't be on the ice all the time . . . just half the time. Halak can steal games (trust me, I know, he is great against the Leafs!), but again, he is a big step below Brodeur, Lundqvist, Miller and even Nabakov.

Not a threat to Canada.

"Take off, eh?" - Bob and Doug

Edited by - slozo on 12/30/2009 05:44:09

Guest2677 ( )

Posted - 12/30/2009 : 06:38:42

Voracek is from the Czech Republic.

While i said they had some good top end players & decent depth, i don't consider them a threat either, at least not as far as the gold is concerned. If Halak is able to provide them with solid goaltending, then who knows, maybe they can finish as high as 3 or 4, but no way do i see them playing in the gold medal game.

And yeah i'm looking forward to seeing Ziggy Palffy play again. Same goes with Jaromir Jagr & Peter Forsberg.Do the Czechs announce their roster today or tomorrow? Will be interesting to see if Dominik Hasek is included, i read a few articles last month saying he had a chance.

Hey Slozo you want another friendly wager on that??? Name your terms because you are grossly underestimating their abilities. You are completely missing the likes of Visnovsky and Meszaros on the back end. Also, when did a PPG player in Hossa become 2nd rate?? Handzus is a big and strong as they come. Zednik was also a strong 2 way player just last season. If Satan and Palffy are 1/2 the players they were in the NHL they still compete.

Slovakia plays the Czeck Republic, Russia, and Latvia in the prelims. I say that Slovakia wins 2 of those 3 and gives Russia a go as well with no more than a 2 goal lose. I also say Slovakia wins at least one game in the medal round and finish the overall tourney no worse than 5th.